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When world heavyweight boxing champ Sonny Liston came to Newcastle

We recall how Sonny Liston, who died on this day, visited Newcastle in 1963 and rode through the city centre on a white horse.

World heavyweight boxing champion Sonny Liston going through his training routine at St James' Hall, Newcastle, on September 16, 1963

The former world heavyweight boxing champion, Sonny Liston, died a lonely death on this day in 1970.

And his connection to the region?

Like his former adversary and conquerer, Muhammad Ali, American boxer Liston once paid a visit to Tyneside.

Ali’s visit to the North East in 1977 has been well-documented. Liston’s visit 14 years earlier is less well-remembered today.

The fearsome hard-hitting champ, known in the US as the Big Bear, arrived in the region in September 1963 as part of a European tour.

When his train pulled into Newcastle Central Station on the evening of Sunday, September 15, there was a big crowd anxious to get a glimpse of the menacing heavyweight.

Next day, as our photos show, thousands turned out in the city centre to witness the extraordinary sight of the champ riding through Newcastle on a magnificent white horse.

Liston, like a character from a classic western movie, cantered confidently on the horse, riding from the Royal Station Hotel to the now-demolished New St James’ Hall where he gave a boxing exhibition.

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